'Medical institutes becoming factories of quacks'
Karachi, July 18, 2008: Observing that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council
(PMDC), the prime regulatory body for medical education in the country, has been
overwhelmed by owners of private concerns, noted medical professional Dr
Shershah Syed has urged the government to ensure an independent and autonomous
status for such institutions for the betterment of medical profession and
greater interest of patients.

Dr Syed, who has been notified by the
federal government as an elected member of PMDC recently but could not sit in
the council due a status quo order of a high court, expressed concern over the
deteriorating medical education standards and mechanism and the declining
facilities at the public and private medical colleges, besides ineffective
mechanism to regulate medical colleges. "The government must stop playing in the
hands of owners of private medical colleges and mafia," he said.

He
referred to the recommendations made by the Senate's standing committee on the
affairs of PMDC in December 2005, and said that the standards and quality of
education at medical education institutions and training institutes might have
improved had the government implemented the recommendations. The committee had
called for an immediate halt to the establishment of medical colleges in the
public or private sector until such time the situation was reconsidered and the
existing deficiencies were corrected. It had observed that the PMDC had failed
to enforce standards in medical colleges due to various
considerations.

It had noted that some of the private sector medical
colleges were doing a dis-service to the medical profession and committing the a
crime against citizens and the humanity at large. "Punitive action must be taken
against them with immediate effect," it said.

Dr Syed observed that
medical education and training sector was facing a crisis as the medical
colleges and universities had become "production factories" of the doctors who
were taught and tested in a more unscientific manner. This, he said, was quite
alarming, and said the PMDC must be transformed into a body sincere only to the
causes of the health care delivery system and humanity."The PMDC has totally
failed in regulating medical education and training in the country because its
control system is now largely under the shadow of vested interests. Since the
illegal suspension of Dr Suhail Karim Hashmi as the PMDC secretary, the council
has allowed many influential people and agencies to open medical colleges both
in the private and public sectors with minimum facilities and also in gross
violation of the PMDC-prescribed rules and regulations", Dr Syed
claimed.

He called for immediate withdrawal of the provisional NOCs
issued by PMDC in regard to the establishment and affiliation of medical
colleges with PMDC.

"More than 90 per cent of medical colleges in the
public and private sectors are running their institutions without having
sufficient medical faculties and facilities. A majority of the private medical
colleges were extremely expensive and charging exorbitant tuition fees and
donations for admissions," he said.

On the other hand, he added, some
government colleges had also started selling seats to those who could make
payments in dollars. He said that all was not well in the case of the
post-graduate medical education either.

Admission scedule of MUET
Hyderabad: The Mehran University of Engineering and Technology
has announced schedule for admission to BE in City and Regional Planning and
Architecture.

Candidates have been asked to obtain application admission
forms and a copy of prospectus from September 1 to 15 from designated HBL
branches at Sindh University Old Campus Hyderabad, Station Road Dadu, Bundar
Road Larkana, Frere Road Sukkur, Masjid Road Nawabshah, Main Bazaar Sanghar,
Jinnah Road Mirpurkhas, Station Road Badin, National Highway Thatta, Mehran
Hotel Karachi and Mehran University booth Jamshoro and deposit the same in the
same bank branch or send by mail under registered post to the Registrar
MUET.

Forms should be duly completed in all respects with photocopies of
required documents i.e., domicile, permanent residence certificate (Form-C),
intermediate (pre-engineering/ general science) and matriculation pass and marks
certificates. Dawn